The EEF1AKMT3/MAP2K7/TP53 axis suppresses tumor invasiveness and metastasis in gastric cancer.
By: Yo Han Hong, Nur Aziz, Jae Gwang Park, Dagyeong Lee, Jin Kyeong Kim, Seung A Kim, Wooram Choi, Chae Young Lee, Hwa Pyoung Lee, Ha Thi Huyen Trang, Han Gyung Kim, Young-Jun Jeon, Bokyoung Kim, Younghoon Kim, Kyung-Hee Kim, Byong Chul Yoo, Jeung-Whan Han, Narayana Parameswaran, Ji Hye Kim, Hoon Hur, Jae Youl Cho

Department of Integrative Biotechnology, Sungkyunkwan University, Suwon, 16419, Republic of Korea; Neuroregeneration and Stem Cell Programs, Institute for Cell Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, MD, United States.
2022-03-12; doi: 10.1016/j.canlet.2022.215803
Abstract

The importance of methylation in the tumorigenic responses of nonhistone proteins, such as TP53, PTEN, RB1, AKT, and STAT3, has been emphasized in numerous studies. In parallel, the corresponding nonhistone protein methyltransferases have been acknowledged in the pathophysiology of cancer. Thus, this study aimed to explore the pathological role of a nonhistone methyltransferase in gastric cancer (GC), identify nonhistone substrate protein, and understand the underlying mechanism. Interestingly, among the 24 methyltransferases and methyltransferase family 16 (MTF16) proteins, EEF1AKMT3 (METTL21B) expression was prominently lower in GC tissues than in normal adjacent tissues and was associated with a worse prognosis. In addition, EEF1AKMT3-knockdown induced gastric tumor invasiveness and migration. Through gain and loss-of-function studies, mass spectrometry analysis, RNA-seq, and phospho-antibody array, we identified EEF1AKMT3 as a novel tumor-suppressive methyltransferase that catalyzes the monomethylation of MAP2K7 (MKK7) at K296, thereby decreasing the phosphorylation, ubiquitination, and degradation of TP53. Furthermore, EEF1AKMT3, p-MAP2K7, and TP53 protein levels were positively correlated in GC tissues. Collectively, our results delineate the tumor-suppressive function of the EEF1AKMT3/MAP2K7/TP53 signaling axis and suggest the dysregulation of the signaling axis as potential targeted therapy in GC.



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PMID:35753528






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